At 10.6%, unemployment in West Township is higher than in 95% of U.S. towns
Only 2% work in West Township; the top destination outside it is Minerva (11%, 5 miles). The two grades for West Township are C for jobs and income and D− for walkability. 3% of workers work from home (Ohio 13%).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
West Township and work: the main findings
West Township is a place people come home to
There are 175 jobs based in West Township, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday West Township has about 2,100 people in it, 31% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Few West Township workers work from home
Only 3% of workers work from home, against 13% across Ohio. Almost everyone here travels to a job. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind West Township’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, West Township is better than 26% of U.S. towns, #847 of 992 in Ohio. Household income holds West Township’s grade up ($74,727, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, West Township could be anywhere from D to A.
The daily commute in and out of West Township
On a workday 1,114 residents head out to work, 19 work right here, and 156 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,100 people are in West Township on a workday afternoon, 31% fewer than live here.
0.15 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
West Township’s commute takes about 26 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of West Township workers work from home, vs 13% across Ohio. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,451 commuters (the 3% who work from home are left out). Across Ohio: 86% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Where people from West Township work
Where West Township clocks in
11% of workers
10% of workers
5% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
In West Township, 59% of jobs are in factories, building or farming
175 jobs are based in West Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in West Township, 2013 → 2023: 206 → 175. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs West Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from West Township
About 20% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Driving is how West Township gets around
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,500 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 5.2% of West Township households have no vehicle (Ohio 7.5%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of West Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, West Township is 3,362nd of 4,562 U.S. towns of 2,200 to 4,200
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 37 | Jersey Township OH | 2,678 | $136K | 2.4% | 1.2% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 42 | Silver Lake OH | 2,504 | $140K | 2.9% | 1.4% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 46 | Evendale OH | 2,657 | $149K | 1.5% | 2.1% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,360 | Evergreen Township MI | 3,063 | $59K | 13.4% | 3.3% | 3% | C |
| 3,361 | Deer Creek Township MO | 2,464 | $72K | 9.1% | 9.5% | 11% | C |
| 3,362 | West Township OH | 3,100 | $75K | 13.4% | 10.6% | 2% | C |
| 3,363 | Mount Carmel Township PA | 2,469 | $71K | 12.3% | 7.1% | 14% | C |
| 3,364 | McLeansboro IL | 2,585 | $45K | 22.3% | 1.2% | 25% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 4,562 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of West Township, the top three, the last and three more from Ohio.
14% of West Township works in a bordering town
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | West Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Township | – | C | D− | 26 min | $74,727 |
| Paris Township | under 2% | B | C | 21 min | $68,528 |
| Hanover Township | 3% | B | B− | 29 min | $67,578 |
| Augusta Township | under 2% | B | C− | 32 min | $84,000 |
| Knox Township | under 2% | B− | D | 24 min | $71,396 |
| Minerva | 11% | B− | B+ | 21 min | $54,380 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Minerva. Darker towns draw more of West Township’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in West Township: questions
What is the median household income in West Township?
$74,727 (±$26,083) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $71,389 across Ohio and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in West Township?
13.4%, against 13.3% across Ohio and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from West Township?
26 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Ohio and 26 nationally. 3% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in West Township work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Minerva (11%, 5 mi), Salem (10%, 13 mi), Alliance (5%, 11 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is West Township walkable?
West Township is more walkable than 2% of U.S. towns (Walkability D−): an EPA walkability index of 3.4 out of 20, and 0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around West Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from West Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of West Township
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.